


little things of happiness

by WeSayNosoro



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, this is the longest oneshot ive written, two girls being gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 13:31:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16096646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeSayNosoro/pseuds/WeSayNosoro
Summary: Five times You borrows Chika’s outfits, and one time You gives Chika one.





	little things of happiness

1.

_Thump_.

Chika stopped running when You had tripped and fallen in front of her. It was a fun game of chase that usually ended in a scraped knee or hand.

“You-chan!”

Chika rushed towards her, and Kanan was quick to follow. You sat up, her bottom lip wobbling dangerously. Her hands were raw red when she had tried to break her fall, and her trousers were ripped, some blood seeping through underneath at the knee.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Chika held her best friend’s hand as Kanan went off to get Chika’s mother. You nodded her head with some hesitation.

“My knee hurts a bit...” You mumbled with a small sniffle, and Chika’s gaze was drawn towards the light blue trousers, now dirty with sand, like her jumper. Chika didn’t really want to touch the bloody knee, so instead she lifted You’s hand and kissed it. You winced slightly at the touch but otherwise didn’t react.

“My mummy always does this to me when I get hurt,” Chika explained when she noticed You’s confusion. “She says it’s a magic healing kiss.”

You visibly brightened up, and she brought her red hand up to her eyes to take a good look at it. If she looked long enough, it would feel like it was hurting less, like an illusion that would come true if she believed it enough. “I get it...” she replied. “Daddy always sings me a song before he leaves for his job. He said it’s a magic spell to make me feel happy and less lonely.”

Chika nodded vigorously, glad that her sentiment reached her. Kanan returned with Chika’s mother, who was armed with a pack of plasters and some disinfectant.

As she cleaned You’s knee, Chika held her hand again and squeezed it as You gritted her teeth at the sting of the disinfectant. Chika’s mother got out a colourful plaster and carefully put it on, ruffling You’s hair as she did so.

“You’ve been so brave, You-chan,” she told the small girl. “We’ll get you home to your mum soon, okay?” She bit her lip as she looked at the dirty clothes. “But first, I think you’ll need to change your clothes. You can’t really go home looking like that.”

You pouted; it had only just occurred to her that her clothes were temporarily ruined. Well, her trousers were permanently ruined, with the tear at the knee. Chika knew those were one of her favourite pairs.

“She can wear some of my clothes!” she offered happily, pointing at herself. Chika’s mother seemed to consider this for a moment, before smiling back.

“Okay. I think you’re both the same size, anyway,” she replied. Chika grabbed You’s hand and led her inside her house without any further delay.

They went up the stairs to Chika’s bedroom, and she flung the wardrobe door open. “Here!” she said. “Can I pick the clothes for you?”

You agreed, and a moment later, Kanan entered the room. “You guys ran off so quickly... That’s not fair...” she panted. Chika stuck her tongue out at her.

“You’re always faster than us, so we beat you this time!”

Chika turned back to the wardrobe, humming loudly as she scrutinised each item of clothing, dramatically tossing them aside when she decided that they weren’t suitable. Eventually, she found the perfect thing. She poked her head out from the wardrobe, holding up a light orange dress, adorned with ribbons and jewels.

“How about this, You-chan? You’ll look so cute in it!”

You grinned, and took the dress from Chika, clumsily holding it up to her chest to see how it would look. “Yeah, I’ll wear it!”

Without any hesitation, she pulled off her jumper and bloody trousers in front of her friends, and slipped the dress on over her head. Chika clapped her hands in delight. She was right; You look adorable. Maybe Chika should become a fashion designer when she grew up. She stepped forward and firmly took You’s shoulders, twirling her around so the skirt of the dress flared up around her. But her outfit was missing something, a finishing touch that would make it even more perfect.

“And how about this?” Chika dug around in her pocket, eventually taking out a spare yellow hair ribbon that she usually kept with her in case she lost or broke the one keeping her braid in place. She paused. “But I don’t know how to do braids...”

Kanan stepped forward with a hand on her hip, puffing her chest out proudly. She took the ribbon from Chika. “I know how to do it. Leave it to me,” she said, and began twisting a portion of You’s wavy hair into a braid, as Chika watched on in awe. When she had finished, it was messy and uneven, but still recognisable. She fixed the ribbon in her hair and stepped back, admiring her handiwork.

“We match now!” Chika said, and she grinned. You mirrored her expression.

Just then, Chika’s mother came into the room. She did a double take when she saw the dress You wore and the messy braid in her hair, but she just shrugged with a soft smile, and said that the car was ready to take You home.

Chika hugged her and waved her off as she left, and the next day at kindergarten, she was delighted when she saw that You had kept the braid.

* * *

  
2.

Sleepovers weren’t uncommon between You and Chika. In fact, each other’s houses had basically become their second homes, which their parents liked to joke about. They had another sleepover, one that they decided was going to be more special, to celebrate them both getting into their chosen middle school together. They had spent the entire week talking about this one, how they were going to build a fort out of blankets and pillows, whilst pretending Chika’s sisters were the evil trolls coming to storm the castle. They would watch movies and binge popcorn, and they would try to stay up the entire night, stifling their uncontrollable giggles in case Chika’s family found out they were still awake and tried to get them to sleep.

“We need to get into our roles, You-chan!” Chika announced before they began to put together the self-proclaimed best pillow fort the world had ever seen. “You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess!”

They loved having this childish fun together, even though they were twelve years old and soon to be attending middle school, where they would try to act like grownups and be excited at all the new freedom.

“Prince You... I like it,” You said, putting a thumbs up. “Do you have a costume I could wear?”

“Oh, right!” Chika sprang up from her bed and began rifling through her wardrobe. “Prince You-chan and Princess Chika, here to defend the world from all evil!” She said that last word loudly, brandishing a long dress from the wardrobe with a laugh. “I’ll wear this one, and you will...” Her voices trailed off as she hurriedly went through the rest of her clothes, before taking out a blue blazer with trousers. “Here!” She tossed the items of clothing to You.

Now older, You went into the bathroom to change, whilst Chika stayed in her bedroom. She hummed contentedly as she put the dress on, twirling herself in the mirror. A couple of minutes later, the door slid open and You returned, wearing the outfit. She flipped her hair and struck a dramatic pose, grinning when Chika laughed. “Is this princely enough for you?”

“Yeah!”

Just then, something else entered the room, running between You’s legs and almost making her topple over.

“Shiitake!” they said in unison. The dog stopped at Chika’s feet, wagging his tail.

“I think he wants to join in the fun too,” You said, bending down to stroke him.

“In that case, he’ll be our dragon and guardian! You don’t mind that, do you, boy?”

In reply, Shiitake wagged his tail, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Chika grabbed an old red T-shirt that was almost too big for the dog, and put it on over his head. He licked her cheek and she giggled, patting his head.

“You’re such a good boy!” Chika stated, using that certain voice that adults always use on babies and pets. “Let’s get to building our castle!”

For the castle, the girls used a space between Chika’s bed and her desk, carefully putting the blanket over them as a roof. They put a couple of pillows inside, and some more around them as the walls. They sat Shiitake outside as their “guard”, and they crawled into their cosy fort with snacks that Chika had grabbed from the kitchen when her father wasn’t looking.

This was going to be the best sleepover ever.

She looked at You, who had just cracked open a bag of sweets, and was holding one out to her. One of those strawberry flavoured rings.

"We're married here, right?" You said, and she clambered to get onto one knee to jokingly give the ring to Chika.

Chika smirked. "Thank you, Prince You-chan. Of course I'll marry you."

You slipped the ring on Chika's finger, which was a bit of a tight squeeze, and then put one on her own. They shuffled closer together so their shoulders touched, and Chika reached forward to grab the laptop in front of them.

"What movie should we watch?" she asked. You hummed as Chika scrolled through the movies, absentmindedly sucking at the ring on her finger.

"This one?" she replied eventually, and Chika clicked on it.

They sat there for the rest of the night to have a small movie marathon. You was still wearing Chika's costume and Shiitake was sleeping curled up outside the pillow fort, and they fell asleep on each other around an hour or two after midnight, despite their promises to stay awake the whole night.

* * *

  
3.

Chika was there when You emerged from the pool, exhausted and hair dripping with water. She gave a tired smile as Chika handed her a fluffy towel.

“Thanks, Chika-chan.”

Chika clapped her on the back with a grin. “No problem! Good work today.”

They made their way to the changing room in relative silence, You’s feet creating small puddles where she stepped. Chika had decided that even if she wasn’t good enough to be in any clubs, she’d support her best friend in any way she could. It was the least she could do. And You’s smiles and thanks at the end for all her help would be worth it.

But still, there was a kind of strain in her chest every time she watched You leap from a diving board, spinning gracefully until she dove into the pool with a small splash. She was so good at everything she did, so talented, and a great person to top it all off. Chika sometimes wished she could have some of what You had, some of that endless charisma and talent. But she guessed it was fine to stand behind You, supporting her quietly from behind while she continued to strive and do well.

She hoped You would never forget her.

You opened her locker door, and Chika watched in anticipation as she noticed a lollipop sitting inside, on top of her neatly folded clothes.

“Think of it as a post-workout snack,” Chika said, her smile not faltering.

You unwrapped the lollipop and put it in her mouth, sucking happily. It was orange-flavoured, which they both favoured. Chika wondered if You had gotten such a taste of oranges because of her.

You turned back to the locker to get out her clothes. But it was one simple misplacement of her hand, and her uniform shirt tumbled out and fell onto the cold, wet floor.

“No!” You yelped as she tried to grab it before it hit the ground, but she was too late. The shirt lay there, soggy and now probably dirty as well. She sighed, putting a hand to her head. “I can’t believe this...”

Chika looked at the soggy mess on the floor. That would need one hell of a wash to get all the pool chemicals out of it, and You definitely wouldn’t be able to wear it on the way home now. “Don’t you have a spare shirt?” she asked.

Shaking her head, You set her bag on the bench and rummaged through it just in case, even though she already knew she forgot to bring one. “No luck. Guess I’ll have to go home wet, huh?” She attempted a half-hearted smile, but even that turned into a grimace when she saw her shirt on the floor, absorbing more water every second it stayed there. She picked it up, pinching the ends between her fingers.

“Wait,” Chika said. She remembered she had an art lesson earlier today, and, being naturally messy, she had brought a spare shirt with her in case she messed up the one she was wearing. Luckily, she hadn’t had to use it. “I think I have one with me.”

She zipped open her bag and hurriedly got out her own shirt, fresh and clean. You’s face brightened up. “You’ll let me borrow this?”

Chika nodded. “Mm-hm! What are friends for, after all?”

You stepped forward to hug her, but stopped when she realised she didn’t want to get Chika’s clothes wet as well. Instead, she opted for a pat on the shoulder using a dry hand. “Thanks, Chika-chan! I’ll return it to you later!”

Chika handed the shirt to You, who rushed into the changing room with the rest of her clothes. And when she emerged a few minutes later, clean and dry, they walked to the bus stop together and waited for the bus.

Chika took the time to look at her best friend, who was currently texting her mother. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the moonlight, and there was a soft smile on her lips. Chika subtly shuffled closer so their shoulders touched, and she decided to savour this moment.

Perhaps, if You eventually left her behind to do greater things, she’d look back at this and remember all the fun times they had together.

For now, though, Chika was fine admiring her from the sidelines and helping her in any way she could.

* * *

  
4.

Chika was interrupted when someone knocked at her bedroom door. Luckily, her outfit was already on, so she didn’t have to worry about appearing indecent. She slid the door open to find You standing there, panting and wearing a sheepish grin, apparently not getting dressed up herself for the occasion. It was their first summer festival since starting high school, and Chika wanted to make sure she looked her best.

“You-chan?” Chika asked. “Is something wrong?”

“About that...” You straightened up, biting her lip. She seemed worried about something, or unsure about speaking to Chika. Chika stepped aside and let You into her room, who gratefully sat on her bed, tired from running all the way to her house.

“I was gonna wear a cute yukata to the festival to surprise you, but when I tried mine on, it didn’t fit anymore. I thought it would, but I’ve not worn it in a couple of years so I guess I forgot how small it would be...” she eventually said after having caught her breath. “I still want to wear one, though, and you were the first person I thought of who has the same sizes as me. Some surprise, huh?” She laughed a little and looked back up at Chika.

“Ohh...” Chika turned back to her wardrobe. If she remembered correctly, she still had a couple of yukatas in there somewhere, that were hand-me-downs from her sisters. “I’m pretty sure we can work this out!”

She rifled through her wardrobe, knowing exactly what she was looking for. A baby blue yukata with floral patterns that would look perfect on You. “Will this do?” she asked, holding it up for You to see.

“Yeah! That’ll be a perfect fit!”

You changed into it in the bathroom, and Chika helped her tie the ribbon at the back. She looked gorgeous, and Chika could feel a blush creeping up to her cheeks. There was something so mature about You, how she wore a small side ponytail held in place by a blue ribbon, or her bracelet on her wrist that Chika had gotten for her when they went to the city once as kids. It was so refreshing.

You tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and offered an arm for Chika. “Shall we go?” she said with a smile. Chika broke out of her thoughts and nodded excitedly, taking You’s arm and leading them out underneath the starry sky.

They spent a couple of hours wandering around the festival, trying food from different stalls and playing games. You, being You, had managed to win a giant teddy bear, coloured blue, at a shooting game. She was amazing as usual, and Chika couldn’t help but admire her.

You held the bear out to Chika. “Here you go!”

Chika blinked. “Huh?”

“It’s a gift from me! For letting me borrow your outfit and for coming with me today!”

Chika tentatively took the bear, hugging it to her chest. It was so soft, so soft that she wanted to bury her head in it and stay like that, cosy forever. But she still needed to spend the rest of the night with You. “Thanks, You-chan,” she said with a large smile.

You opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, they heard a distant _bang_. They whirled around and turned their heads up to the sky.

Fireworks. Beautiful, sparkly fireworks exploded in the sky, of all different shapes, colours and sizes.

You grabbed Chika’s hand. “Come on, let’s find somewhere with a good view of the fireworks!”

Her hand was warm and cosy, like the teddy bear Chika gripped in her other hand. They ran through the festival, footsteps resounding on the stone pavement and their laughs fading behind them. You’s eyes were lit up with the reflection of the fireworks, and she was bathed in a light that continued changing colour.

Chika squeezed her hand tighter.

* * *

  
5.

It was a long day. Chika and You walked along the shore, their feet dragging in the sand. After the emotional rollercoaster that was the summer Love Live competition, they decided they needed some peace and quiet together.

They walked in companionable silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the waves making quiet splashes and their quiet footsteps. The sun was starting to set, and surprisingly, the temperature outside had dropped quite a bit, leaving You to wrap her arms around herself, only having shoved on an old t-shirt after the performance.

Chika noticed this and frowned. She was wearing a thick shirt and a hoodie, which made her feel bad, even though she couldn’t see You’s face, which was turned towards the sea, her hair being lifted lightly in the breeze.

Chika shrugged off her hoodie, and You turned to her at the sound. “Here, you must be cold,” Chika offered.

“It’s fine, you really don’t ha-“

“Nope.” Chika held a hand up to interrupt You with a laugh. She slowed her pace and wrapped the hoodie around You’s shoulders, her hands lingering there for just a second longer than necessary.

Her own hands were warm, but You’s felt colder, which gave Chika an idea. With a smirk, she began rubbing her shoulders, which made You gasp in surprise.

“What are you-?”

“Massaging your shoulders,” Chika replied. “They must be aching after the performance.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” You answered with a playful pout.

They both broke into giggles, and only when their laughs had faded out did You speak again. “Aah... This brings back memories...”

She bent down in the sand, and Chika wondered what she was doing. Her amazing friend who gave a wistful look as she dragged her index finger through the soft sand, making a sort of pattern. Wait, no, Chika squinted as she saw that You was writing letters.

A point, and a line through the middle of it. _A_. Then a circle and a line coming from underneath it. _q_. It was then that Chika realised what she was writing.

“Aqours,” she breathed, and You replied by flashing her a smile. She smoothed down her hair and finished the curve of the _s_ , standing back up when she was done, her hands on her hips.

“The waves will probably wash it away soon, but that’s alright,” she stated, more to herself than anything.

Chika noticed that expression again. Something wistful and slightly sad, that was only there for a split second before You went back to her normal smile. They stood in silence like that for another minute or so, until You spoke again.

“I never thanked you, did I, Chika-chan?”

“Hm?” Chika raised an eyebrow, unsure of where this was going.

“I’ve always wanted to do something with you. I never failed to notice it, you know? How you always stood watching me at diving practice, handing me my towel and water afterwards, always telling me I did a good job. But... I wanted more than that.” You paused, biting her lip. “I just wanted something we could share, a hobby we could learn together and enjoy and talk about. And I finally found that with Aqours.”

Chika almost forgot how to breathe. You never spoke about her weaknesses or desires, perhaps out of fear that their relationship would change. But here she was, in all the glory of the sunset, actually telling Chika how she felt.

“So... yeah. You’ve done so much for me without even realising it. And...” You’s cheeks went slightly pink and she turned back towards the sea. “I love you, Chika-chan.”

You fiddled with a string of the hoodie, holding it tighter to her, as though she didn’t want to let go.

* * *

  
+1

For a few days, Chika had been noticing when You hurriedly left the classroom at the end of the day when there was no club. She would wave a quick goodbye to her and Riko, and disappear off somewhere.

It left Chika confused, as she knew You didn’t have diving practice on those days, neither did she have any other commitments that were so urgent that she would leave without her friends. So instead, Chika turned to Riko. “Shall we go home?”

Riko nodded and absentmindedly adjusted her tie. It was blue at this school, the colour of the third-years. Chika decided that she would miss the uniform after graduation, as it was actually kinda cute, but she still felt a pang of pain in her chest whenever she saw her old Uranohoshi uniform hanging at the back of her wardrobe, that she’d probably never wear again.

Chika threw her coat on over the beige jumper; it was the middle of February, and it was crazy to think that she wouldn’t be here in two months. Not with her family, not with her friends.

The now third-years had had discussions about their futures. Chika decided to go to a business school in Tokyo, so she could eventually take over her family’s inn. Riko would go to study music on the other side of Japan, and the other two had joked that they couldn’t wait to see her compositions win awards. And You...

After thinking about it for a long time, You had accepted one of the many scholarships she had been offered. Her studies were only around average, but it was in her athleticism and charm where universities from everywhere had really taken notice of her.

She had told Chika in the darkness of Chika’s balcony one night that she would be going to America to be on a professional diving team, while she also learned how to be a ship captain.

They had hugged, and shed a few tears, but You had promised she’d be back every holiday, and eventually return to Japan when she was done.

She promised that she’d never forget Chika.

As Chika zipped her coat up now and headed downstairs with Riko, she caught sight of a familiar head of hair, but she didn’t call out to her.

Instead, You disappeared down the corridor and reappeared a few second later, just as Chika was about to open the door to leave. She was holding a bag in her hands.

“Chika-chan!”

She skipped over to Chika, who stopped where she was.

“This probably could have been done a little more romantically, I was excited... You know how I am.” You laughed a little self-consciously, rubbing the back of her head. She held the bag towards Chika. “This is for you.”

With an encouraging nod from Riko, Chika took the bag. You nodded to tell her it was okay to open, so Chika gently pried apart the top of the bag, and slid a hand inside to pull something out.

It was fabric, and her heart immediately leapt. Her suspicions were confirmed when she took the entire thing out the bag and held it up.

It was a dress.

“This...” Chika started, but she couldn’t continue, as tears began to cloud her vision. Her hands were full, so she couldn’t wipe her eyes, so instead she gave a shaky laugh to lighten the mood.

The dress was white. It had a blue and orange floral pattern, the stems of the different-coloured flowers intertwining and meeting and petals everywhere. Stitched on a pocket was two hearts next to each other, with a _C_ and a _Y_ neatly embroidered inside the hearts. Noticing this only made it harder for Chika to stop her tears. Her shoulders shook and it took every ounce of her being to form a coherent sentence.

“Thank you so much...” she said eventually, after multiple attempts.

She looked up to see You’s eyes were also filled with tears.

“We’re idiots, aren’t we? Graduation won’t be goodbye forever, but I guess it’s hard to imagine when we’ve spent basically our whole lives together.”

Chika only nodded, the lump in her throat too large to speak again.

But actions spoke louder than words, right? So Chika wrapped her arms around You, making sure not to crush the dress. You held her tightly, savouring every moment of this.

Graduation would be soon, but they were right, it wouldn’t be goodbye forever. Instead, they would say, “I’ll see you soon,” and they’ll meet again, no matter how far away they are.

 

**Author's Note:**

> WHEW I’d been wanting to do a proper oneshot forever, and I’ve finally done it!
> 
> This is also dedicated to my best friend Emily, as it’s her birthday, and even though she isn’t much into love live anymore, our friendship is as strong as chikayou’s! I still have her saved on my phone as “the Chika to my You”. Hbd Ems, ily so much!!!!!
> 
> Anddd I love Chika and You. Is this cliche? Probably. Do I care? Nope. Purely self-indulgent fluff and girls being gay.


End file.
